Well done Dale Butler.

We needed someone important like yourself to remind us all of the need for a gracious behaviour by the crowds and our leaders on Remembrance Day.

Last year was very sad indeed, especially for those of us who had lost beloved ones in the war.

Let us all remember the words on the Cenotaph at KOHIMA: "When you go home, tell them of us and say.

For your tomorrow, we gave our today.'' Some of us have hearts still heavy with grief, especially on Remembrance Day.

Do not expect us to accept as normal, a cheering crowd for any reason what-so-ever.

There are times when I must agree with our war pacts, especially with Wilfred Owen when her referred to "that old lie.

"DULCE ET DECORUM EST PRO PATRIA MORI''.

MOYA BOYD Somerset Educate to liberate October 27, 1999 Dear Sir, The road is paved with good intentions, but now is the time for action if we are to work for peace.

Racism is the most challenging issue confronting us today. It is an affront to human dignity, a cause of hatred and division, a disease that devastates our society.

Progress towards tolerance, mutual respect, and unity amongst the people of Bermuda has been painfully slow and marked with repeated setbacks. Resurgence of racial incidents, deepening despair of the minorities of the world, and the poor, make the need for solutions ever more pressing and urgent.

To ignore the problem is to expose the country to physical, moral, and spiritual danger.

Crime continues to rise. The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.

It is a principle that issues naturally from the genesis and purpose of human existence. All men have been created to carry forth an ever-advancing civilisation.

Virtues that befit us, like dignity, forbearance, justice, mercy, compassion and loving-kindness towards all people, are necessary to carry forth the advancement of our civilization.

Humanity is reaching the stage of maturation. Its spiritual essence calls upon us to apply the principles of the oneness of humankind.

The oneness of humanity is a spiritual truth abundantly confirmed by science, which has now proven that we are all fiftieth cousins. However, recognition of this truth compels the abandonment of all prejudices of race, colour, creed, nation, and class of everything which enables people to consider themselves superior to others.

This implies an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change the world has not yet experienced. Are we up to the challenge? Recognising and accepting our unique oneness would necessitate and make possible vast changes in economic status for minority groups. Poverty afflicts members of the all races, its victims tend to be largely people of colour.

Prejudice and discrimination have created a disparity in standards of living, providing some with excessive economic advantage while denying others the bare necessities for leading healthy and dignified lives.

Poor housing, deficient diet, inadequate health care, sufficient education, are consequences of poverty. The cost to our society is very great.

Evidence of the negative effect of racial and ethnic conflict has prompted a number of business, corporations, and organisations, to institute educational programmes that teach conflict resolution which are designed to eliminate social and ethnic tensions from our schools and workplace. These are important steps and should be encouraged.

However, the fundamental solution -- the one that will reduce violence, regenerate and focus the intellectual and moral energy of minorities, and make them partners in the construction of a progressive society -- rests ultimately on the common recognition of the oneness of humankind.

It is extremely human to fail if that which is most important to people's self-perception is denied them -- namely, the dignity they derive from a genuine regard by others for their stature as human beings.

No educational, economic, or political plan can take the place of this essential human need, it is not a need that businesses and schools, or even governments, can provide in isolation from the supportive attitude of society as a whole.

Such an attitude needs to be rounded in spiritual and moral truth, that all acknowledge and accept as their own, and that, like the oxygen that serves us equally, breathes life into their common effort to live in unity and peace.

Absence of the genuine regard for others fostered by such truth causes hopelessness in those discriminated against, (many of us have experienced this) and in a state of hopelessness people lose the coherent moral powers to realise their potential. This vitalising truth is summarised in the phrase: The Oneness of Humankind''.

So essential is this principle to the efficacy of educational programmes that it cannot be over-emphasised. Without it broad influence such programmes will not contribute significantly to the development of society. Education in the principle of the oneness of humanity is the shortest route out of poverty and prejudice.

I hope we can take up this challenge for the peace we all so desire. G.A.S.

St. George' Policing in another age November 1, 1999 Dear Sir, Having recently visited Bermuda for a vacation and to renew friendships with some old colleagues with whom I worked with some 30 odd years ago.

I feel I would be remiss if I did not put pen to paper on some issues which are very dear to me in my declining years.

For over 25 years, I served with the Bermuda Police, and was proud whilst serving. When I retired, the service had a record second to none for a Force of its size.

However, on my recent sojourn, I was more than dismayed at the apparent decline in moral and discipline within the Police Service of today, as opposed to that of service under the likes of G.H.Robins, L.M.Clark, F.C. Bean and C.

Donald.

Is there nobody in the present structure who is willing and able to return to a system where the rank structure is applied and used as it should be? It appalled me when I heard that the present Commissioner allowed a Police Constable to visit his residence with an alleged complaint against his Sergeant, and was invited in for a "cup of tea and a chat''.

I can well imagine what would have happened in the times of any one of the above mentioned previous Commissioners eras should a similar incident happened.

What happened to the Sergeant, who took it upon himself to make a decision that his section would cut back on doing their duty by issuing less tickets due to his perceived notion that he and his section could alleviate a problem in the Court system? Me thinks that a return to Constable and `walking a beat' might have been appropriate.

Mind you Sir, the second part of that reprimand might have been hard to fulfil, as in the whole three weeks that I was in the Islands, I failed to see one Constable walking the streets of Hamilton on patrol, either during the day or in the evening.

I did however see a Police person on patrol in St. George, but this person appeared more concerned with buttressing the structure of the Bank of Bermuda than walking and talking to the general populace. Fortunately my wife reminded me that I no longer had any authority in the Police service.

I also noted with interest the advertisement asking for the return of officers with previous service and under the age of forty-nine.

Might I respectfully suggest, that the Bermuda Government request the return on contract for at least three years of a number of retired officers over the age of sixty -- to return to an age where decisions are made and adhered to and where discipline is instilled and utilised, and not as at present, where an `open door' policy is in place, decision are being made by committees, and the tail is most certainly waging the dog. (this comment is in no way an affront to Mr. V. Richmond or Ms G. Barker).

The moral of senior officers and all senior inspectors, sergeants and constables is, in my opinion, at an all time low, and in this year of celebrating 120 years of service to the Islands, Bermudians need to know that their well-being is in the hands of a competent, up to strength Police Service in which they can be proud of in the same way that I was when I first joined in 1955, and retired from in 1980.

My thoughts on what else is happening concerning Bermuda with regards to pricing itself out of the tourist market, affordable housing, less of hotel accommodation, and the building monstrosities being erected for the benefit of only a few could result in a further missive.

I thank you sir for your indulgence, and as I still have relatives on the Islands and they are not to be ridiculed by my vociferate musings, would you please just sign my letter if you see fit to publish it, as: BEEN THERE DONE THAT Ontario, Canada Left high and dry October 31, 1999 Dear Sir, For some time we have been concerned about the traffic in Bermuda.

Our morning and evening rush hours continue to get worse. I am therefore very perturbed at the decision of the Minister and Ministry of Transport to reduce the ferry service to Warwick.

I understand that there is a plan to discontinue services to the Belmont stop, and reduce the number of ferry boats to one. This boat will serve both Paget and Warwick stops from Lower Ferry to Darrell's Wharf.

The ferries which now leave the Belmont stop at 8. a.m. and 8.30 a.m. will be dropped and will be replaced by an 8.15 a.m. leaving from Darrell's Wharf.

Sir, this seems to be ridiculous. Many of us take the ferry so that we will arrive at our jobs relaxed and in a good frame of mind. The action of reducing the ferry service will increase the number cars on the roads at rush hours, and will also affect the people who work on the ferries and at the ferry station financially.

If Dr. Ewart Brown, the Minister of Transport, or any of his technical officers had done their research, they would find that the rush hour ferries are crowded from Belmont and Darrell's Wharf.

The people of Warwick deserve better service.

YVETTE V. A. SWAN Warwick Curious condemnation November 1, 1999 Dear Sir, It was curious that Dr. Miller has been condemned for a relationship with an under age girl.

My understanding is that he was married in Trinidad, again in the UK, and again in Nevada. With parental consent, I think it is legal to marry a girl under the age of sixteen.

Indeed many "marriages'' in so called primitive societies allow girls of even eleven or twelve years of age to perform the ceremony.

But what is really surprising is the commentary in Bermuda. Is this even newsworthy when clearly Dr. Miller is not a child molester/paedophile -- he married the girl.

As has been brought to our attention, but still has not seeped into the consciousness of the Attorney General's office, there are 20-25 children born per year to girls under the age of sixteen. This figure is not substantially changing and has been going on for decades.

Now where are those who would chastise Dr. Miller? SANDERS FRITH-BROWN Warwick `System letting me down' October 26, 1999 Dear Sir, I am a single mother of two children and I am writing to you because I am fed up with and tired of the system (Family Courts).

My children's daddy is in arrears of $40,000.00. Will someone please tell me how it has accumulated and why nothing has been done about it. It seems the system appears to work only for some people.

For example we have people who are in debt collection. These bailiffs know how to serve or arrest you with a warrant (find you). So why is it hard for the Family courts to find dead beat dads like my children's daddy? Why can't the Family courts use the same system as the debt collectors? Bermuda is only 22-square miles! I mean, I had to do my own investigation to locate him.

I gave Family court the information and one week later they did not have any record of the information! So I gave them the information again. Now let's see how long it takes for them (Family Court) to find him.

My point is, why should my children suffer because they didn't ask to be here.

We made them and we are both responsible for taking care of them.

Why should only he be able to buy a car, wear nice clothes and basically "live the life''? I mean, I have been taking care of them by myself for nine years while he has been in the system for seven years with nothing to show for it.

Yes, he was locked up for 2-1/2 months and then released and still nothing came of it. He is supposed to have our children every other weekend and make payments each week since he was released from prison. He hasn't done it yet.

This was set out in a court order.

This is not all about money. This is about the principle. If he doesn't want to pay or spend some time with his children, then he needs to spend a little more time at Westgate to think again and get his priorities straight.

Today, children need the family (daddy) figure -- especially boys. I have a son who is nine and needs a daddy figure. Yes, I do have a boyfriend who has been in my children's life for six years, but it is not the same as having his own father.

All I am saying is that we need to crack down harder on these dead beat dads.

If it was up to me, then I would cut off his parental rights but I can't do that because after all, he still is my children's daddy. So, to whom do I turn now? The system is not working for me.

FED UP AND TIRED Southampton